Coalition Proposes Citizens-Only NDIS Access

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor wants 17 welfare payments and the NDIS restricted to Australian citizens only.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Immigration

Coalition Proposes Citizens-Only NDIS Access

Live Poll

Should non-citizens be barred from receiving NDIS disability support?

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has proposed restricting the National Disability Insurance Scheme and 17 welfare payments to Australian citizens. Independent Parliamentary Budget Office figures commissioned by Taylor show NDIS spending on non-citizens is about $4.6 billion.

Why it matters

The proposal puts welfare eligibility and the cost of the NDIS at the centre of the contest over the government's management of the economy. Permanent residents and eligible visa holders account for almost 10 per cent of annual NDIS expenditure, so the change would affect a meaningful share of spending.

Projected non-citizen NDIS spending is forecast to exceed $54 billion over the next decade, measured against a current annual cost of about $4.6 billion. Treasury's chief actuary Guy Thornburn has said he did not receive enough information to verify the government's $38.2 billion savings figure.

The players

Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor is the Leader of the Opposition in Australia and the Liberal Party politician who commissioned the Parliamentary Budget Office analysis.

Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese is the Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Australian Labor Party.

Mark Butler

Mark Butler is the Australian federal minister responsible for health and the NDIS, who outlined the government's plan to reduce NDIS participant numbers.

Guy Thornburn

Guy Thornburn is Treasury's chief actuary, who raised concerns about the verifiability of the government's NDIS cost-cut figures.

Jim Chalmers

Jim Chalmers is the Treasurer of Australia and a senior member of the Albanese government's economic team.

The details

Under the Coalition's plan, access to 17 payments and benefits, including the NDIS, would be limited to Australian citizens from 1 July 2028. Existing recipients would be protected under grandfathering arrangements, and current exemptions and international agreements would remain in place.

In the last budget, the government cut $37 billion from the NDIS.
In April, Health Minister Mark Butler outlined a plan to remove 160,000 participants from the NDIS.
Earlier this month, Treasury's chief actuary raised concerns about the $38.2 billion cost cut.
From 1 July 2028, the proposed citizenship-only changes would take effect.
By 2030, the government aims to remove 160,000 participants and deliver $38 billion in savings.

Political Context

The Coalition's plan would restrict NDIS eligibility on citizenship grounds, departing from the scheme's current eligibility for permanent residents and eligible visa holders under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. The proposal also comes after the government's $37 billion cut to the scheme in the last budget, which the Opposition argues reflects weak management of the economy.

If adopted, permanent residents and eligible visa holders currently receiving NDIS support would lose access from 1 July 2028, though existing recipients would be grandfathered. The change would directly affect households relying on the scheme for disability support and those on the 17 affected welfare payments.

The takeaway

Changes to welfare eligibility rules can affect long-term support for many households, so it is worth checking how any proposal would apply to your own circumstances before it takes effect.

What happens next

The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook is expected to be finalised after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returns from overseas visits, and the proposed citizenship-only changes would take effect from 1 July 2028 if adopted.